The road to love (editing!!)

Chapter 26 - Do-overs

I stepped into the ballroom of the Mount Nelson Hotel on the arm of Jake, taking in the beautiful venue that had been transformed into something out of a fairy tale for the Chamber’s dinner.  I nervously tucked up the front of the dress I was wearing, worried that I was showing too much cleavage.  Dresses like the one I had on tonight was more Sharon’s forte than mine. 

It was a beautiful, floor length, wine red dress, clinging to every curve of my body with a split up the right leg that ran to mid-thigh, where a glittering broach added some bling to the front of the dress.  The bodice was straight-cut and pushed my breast together slightly, making them look fuller than they already were, while the glittering straps crossed from my shoulders to low on my back, leaving most of it exposed.  Due to this I was bra-less, a feeling I was not used to and made me slightly uncomfortable.

It was seriously the most beautiful and daring dress I’d ever worn and I wouldn’t even have considered it had Sharon not threatened me with the death of every pair of shoe in my cupboard if I didn’t wear it tonight.  I seriously feared for the life of my shoes, so I reluctantly agreed.

Paired with jewelry borrowed from my mom and a new pair of red, high-heeled strappy sandals, I was dressed to kill and felt like a goddess.  My hair had been curled and pinned on various places, giving it a Greek inspired feeling.  I loved it.

Jake smiled at me as we made our way over to Sharon and her date, the hunky club manager looking a little out of place in the glamorous atmosphere while tugging slightly at the bow tie of his tuxedo.  Though I had to admit, he looked great.

“Hey guys,” I smiled at my best friend as she squealed and leaned in for a hug as soon as she spotted me.  She opted for an evening gown in dark blue with diamante accessories, which complimented her eyes.   “Nice get-up they have here, hey?”  I gushed at her.  “I feel like I stepped into a fairytale.  You guys look so handsome together.”  Shane grinned at me, letting go of the constricting bow tie and standing up straighter as if to show off his suit.

“Isn’t it great?” Sharon squealed again, grabbing Shane’s arm again and smiling up into his adoring face.  “I love going to these events!”

“Well, I have to go mingle with my crowd now,” Jake said from my right.  “Will you be ok here, Jes?”

I waved him off and smiled.  “Yes, of course.  Go!  I’ll see you around later.”

He grabbed my hand and smiled, before placing a kiss on top of it.  “Save me a dance or two later, ok?”

I nodded.  Ok, that was a bit awkward.  I watched Jake walk off before turning back to Sharon.  “So, where’s our table?”

We spent the next half an hour finding our table where Mark and Sheila were already seated and awaiting the rest of our group’s arrival, while watching the VIPs arrive in their glittering attire.  We admired some dresses and laughed at others and were generally having a good time.  Even Shane had relaxed and started saying a few comical things at times that had both Sharon and I in stitches. 

I was sipping on a delicious strawberry daiquiri when I felt Sharon tense in her seat next to me.  “Please don’t look now and make it look obvious, but guess who just walked through the door.”

I looked up into my friend’s eyes and saw her worry etched on her face.  Worry?  Why?  “Um, some famous actor that I’d flip my lid over?”

Sharon’s eyes flipped over my shoulder again.  “Nope.  Rather the one person you are trying to avoid like the plague, Jes.”

Plague?   I groaned, realization suddenly hitting me.  It can only be one person.  I felt his eyes on me and just knew that he was looking our way, but stubbornly decided that I would not give him the satisfaction of even turning around to look at him.